December 10, 2020
O Come All Ye Faithful
Mary’s Boy Child
Jester Harrison wrote Mary’s Boy Child because he was inspired by God’s promise given through the prophet, Isaiah, 700 years before the birth of Jesus: Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel—God with us. (Isaiah 7:14)
Go Tell It on the Mountain
Go Tell It on the Mountain is an African-American spiritual, collected & published during the early 1900s, which calls us to participate in God’s mission – Go! Tell the world about Jesus. Make disciples. The prophet Isaiah wrote, You who tell good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who tell good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength. Lift it up. Don’t be afraid. Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold, your God!” (Isaiah 40:9)
Away in a Manger
Although sometimes credited to the great German Reformer, Martin Luther, the evidence suggests Away in a Manger was written (around 1855) by German Lutherans living in Pennsylvania. St Luke writes, “She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7)
The First Noel
In the 1300s, Mystery Plays — dramatizations of Bible stories — were quite popular and a particular favourite concerned the birth of Jesus. The First Noel is believed to have come out of this tradition, and contains all the necessary Christmas elements: angels, shepherds, the star, magi, the holy family, plus our suggested response to the Lord who created all, and bought salvation for all. The carol was first published in the 1830s.
Bring a Torch
The French carol, Un flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle, is based on a 15th century Provençal dance tune. The lyrics were first recorded in a 1553 collection entitled, Cantiques de Premiere Advenement de Jesus-Christ and the English words were penned by E C Nunn in the late 1800s. The carol tells of 2 milkmaids going to the stable to milk the cows, who instead come upon Jesus asleep in the manger. The women (true evangelists!) run to tell others of the birth of Jesus.
Calypso Carol
Although See Him Lying on a Bed of Straw sounds Caribbean, both lyrics and melody were written by Michael Perry, Vicar in Tonbridge England, in 1964. It became famous almost by accident when Sir Cliff Richard substituted it for another missing recording, on his radio show.
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
This 1849 American carol, written by Unitarian minister, Edmund Hamilton Sears, focusses both on the message of the angels to the shepherds 2000 years ago, and on the certainty that one day, when Christ comes again, the world will respond with the same song – Glory to God in the highest/ and on earth, peace, goodwill.
Ding Dong Merrily
George Radcliffe Woodward was a British Anglican cleric, bell ringer, and amateur musician. He set Ding Dong Merrily to a 16th century French dance tune, and the carol was first published in 1924.
Do You Hear What I Hear
Noel Regney (1922-2002), a Frenchman trained as a classical composer, was drafted into the German army during World War II. He soon deserted to join the French Resistance. After the War, Regney moved to Indochina, and then to the States. Regney and his wife, Gloria Shayne, wrote “Do You Hear What I Hear” in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis—a time when people feared World War III was just around the corner. Matthew 2:9-10 – After listening to the king (Herod), they (Magi) went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. Of course, the King of the song was wiser than Herod.
Never a Baby like Jesus
This rousing Calypso carol was introduced to our Church by Grace Weekes. Never a Baby Like Jesus was written by Jamaican composer, Noel Dexter. St Paul writes, …at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:10)
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
In 1738, Anglican cleric, Charles Wesley wrote the lyrics to Hark, the Herald Angels. “Inspired by the sounds of London church bells, while walking to church on Christmas Day”. The current tune was created by the great German composer, Felix Mendelssohn, in 1840. The carol is less about the events surrounding Jesus’ birth, and more about its meaning. Jesus is the long expected Messiah, the prophesied King, Prince of peace, Son of Righteousness, and above all, God incarnate, Emmanuel. God with us; God for us.
What Child is This
The tune for this carol is Greensleeves attributed to Henry VIII. At age 29 (1866), British lyricist William Dix, was confined to bed for months due to a near-fatal illness; during that time, Dix wrote What Child. We sing the original words full of seeming opposites: angels and lowly shepherds, the Word incarnate born in a barn, the invitation to worship given to kings and peasants alike, the joy of a newborn child and the shadow of the cross.
Twas in the Moon of Wintertime
Jean de Brébeuf, Jesuit missionary to the Hurons, wrote ‘Twas in the Moon around 1643. Brébeuf used images for the nativity of Jesus which would have been familiar to the Hurons. Written in the language of the Hurons, the carol was later translated into French and English. Since he was a French national, Brébeuf could have escaped the Huron-Iroquois war by returning to France, but chose instead to stay with the Hurons near Midland, Ontario and was subsequently martyred.
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Philip Brooks, an Episcopal (Anglican) cleric in Boston, wrote the words for O Little Town following a visit to the Holy Land in 1865. “Before dark we rode out of town to the field where they say the shepherds saw the star. It is a fenced piece of ground with a cave in it, in which, strangely enough, they put the shepherds. . . . Somewhere in those fields we rode through, the shepherds must have been. As we passed, the shepherds were still ‘keeping watch over their flocks’.
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night
The most common question surrounding While Shepherds Watched is “which tune”? The lyrics were written before 1700 and are attributed to Nahum Tate, England’s Poet Laureate of the day. One of the tunes often used today is Winchester Old which is actually older than the lyrics, dating from the late 1500s. During the 1700s, While Shepherds was the only official sanctioned Christmas hymn allowed in the Church of England!
Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas was written by prolific 19th Century British composer, John Mason Neale, to a folk tune. Wenceslas was King of Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic) during the 900s AD, and was known for his works of charity, and for improving the educational and legal systems of his country. The carol refers to a work of kindness done by the King on December 26th, St Stephen’s Day. (See Acts 6 & 7—Stephen is considered the first Christian martyr.)
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
A grammarian’s nightmare and a singer’s delight. First, the grammar. “Rest ye” means remain or make; and “merry” used to mean strong or great. (Think of Robin Hood and his men—a bunch of comedians wouldn’t have fared well against the wicked Sheriff!) And so, the carol means “God make you strong, gentlemen!” This carol is 500 years old. Charles Dickens used it in his “A Christmas Carol”: “… at the first sound of ‘God bless you merry, gentlemen! May nothing you dismay!’, Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror, leaving the keyhole to the fog and even more congenial frost.” As you wish others a “Merry Christmas” this year, you are praying they be strong this Christmas – a good thing in the time of pandemic.
Silent Night
In 1818, Joseph Mohr, parish priest of the Church of St Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria, had a problem. The church organ was not working (Mice had eaten the church organ bellows.) and Christmas was near. Father Mohr gave his organist, Franz Gruber, a poem entitled Stille Nacht! Heilige Nacht! (Silent Night), and Gruber set it to music for voice & guitar.
Good Christians All Rejoice
In 1328 a German mystic, Henrich Seuse, had a vision: Now an angel said to me that God had sent him down to bring me heavenly joys amid my sufferings; adding that I must cast off all my sorrows from my mind and bear the angels company, and must also dance with them in heavenly fashion. Then they drew me into the dance, and then we began a joyous song about the infant Jesus.
Joy to the world
Joy to the World was written 1719 by Sir Isaac Watts and is based on part of Psalm 98: “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises”. The song is not actually a Christmas carol at all! It is more about Jesus’ Second Coming than His first, and was written for the Christ the King Sunday —the last Sunday in the church year before Advent. Did you know, the tune is a pastiche of various musical themes from Handel’s famous oratorio, Messiah?